Image: from The General X@GeneralMCNews
Epstein survivors raise their hands, signaling they feel ignored by the DOJ as Attorney General Pam Bondi refuses to look in their direction.
By Open Chronicle Staff with Agencies
Wednesday, February 11, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s long-awaited appearance before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday devolved into an extraordinary partisan brawl, as the nation’s top law enforcement official traded sharp personal insults with lawmakers over the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
The hearing, intended to provide oversight on the release of over three million pages of documents related to the late sex offender, was instead characterized by shouting matches, refusal to answer specific questions, and Bondi’s staunch defense of President Donald Trump.
Pam Bondi came to Congress with a "burn book" instead of the Epstein files. Millions of pages withheld, victim identities leaked, and predators protected by "mysterious redactions." This isn't law enforcement; it’s a PR firm for the elite. Release the files. Now. 📂🔥… pic.twitter.com/lgWZItoke5
— RAJAT (@RajatJain) February 11, 2026
“In the Gutter”
The temperature in the room spiked early when Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) accused Bondi of orchestrating a “massive cover-up” to protect powerful associates of Epstein while failing to protect the privacy of his victims. Raskin pointed to “sloppy” redactions that inadvertently exposed the identities and intimate details of survivors—several of whom were sitting directly behind Bondi in the hearing room.
Bondi, refusing to yield, launched a blistering counter-attack. “I am not going to get in the gutter with these people,” Bondi shouted, later calling Raskin a “washed-up loser lawyer—not even a lawyer.”
When Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) asked Bondi to turn around and apologize to the survivors in attendance for the DOJ’s mishandling of their data, Bondi flatly refused, dismissing the request as “theatrics” and demanding to know why the same standard wasn’t applied to previous administrations.
Redactions and “Trump Derangement Syndrome”
The questioning wasn’t limited to the left. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who co-sponsored the legislation forcing the files’ release, took Bondi to task for the DOJ’s initial redaction of Les Wexner’s name—the former Victoria’s Secret CEO—from documents where he was labeled a “co-conspirator.”
“Literally the worst thing you could do to survivors, you did,” Massie said, referring to the exposure of victims’ private information.
Bondi dismissed Massie’s concerns, accusing the Republican lawmaker of having “Trump derangement syndrome” and being “only focused on the files because Donald Trump is mentioned in them.” She asserted that her department had performed a “herculean” task under a tight congressional deadline, involving over 500 attorneys reviewing millions of pages.
A Pivot to Prosperity
Throughout the hours of testimony, Bondi repeatedly pivoted away from the Epstein controversy by praising the current administration’s economic performance. In response to questions from Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) regarding potential prosecutions, Bondi instead highlighted the stock market.
“The Dow is over 50,000 right now… Americans’ 401k and retirement savings are booming. That’s what we should be talking about,” she declared.
The hearing ended without clarity on whether new charges would be brought against Epstein’s alleged enablers. While Bondi alluded to “pending investigations,” her testimony stood in tension with previous statements from Deputy AG Todd Blanche, who suggested earlier this month that the review had yielded no new prosecutable evidence.